Ladder tape



July 2, 1940.

.1. A.r HENDLEY v LADDER TAPE Filed Sept. 20, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet l Jly 2, 1940. J. A. HENDLEY LADDER TAPE Filed 56p?. BAO, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 2 1940- .1. AQ HENDLEY 2,206,698

= LADDER TAFE Filed-Sept. 20, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet I5 17 7C 17C 17 o 1 b 1 15 #9E/54s i W9 Patented July 2, 1940 UNiTs stares LADDER TAPE .Eames A. Handley, Middletown, Conn., assigner te The Russell Manufacturing Company, Middletown, Conn.,` a corporation of Connecticut application september 20,1939, serial No. 295,761`

4 Claims. (Cl. 139-384) This invention relates to improvements in ladder-tapes, which are primarily employed for supporting the Aslats of so-called Venetian blinds and the like, and which comprise a pair of spaced-apart front `and back main tapes beltween which extends transverse textile material constituting the rungs or ladders.

One object of this 'invention is to provide an improved ladder-tape characterized by maximum 0 strength oi anchorage of the ladders in the respective front and back main tapes.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved ladder-tape at lower cost than the ladder-tapes heretofore in use.

Another object `of this invention is to provide an improved ladder-tape characterized by superior trueness of the edges `of the main tapes `and their freedom from unsightly bulges occurring as an incident to the anchoring-in of the rungs or ladders of the tape, and by the outside face of each main tapebeing of smooth, uniform appearance with no indication of' the `woven-in anchorage sections of the ladder strands.

2'5 With theabove and other objects in View, as

will appear to those skilled in the artfrorn 4the present disclosure, this invention includes all features in the saiddisclosure which are novel 'over the prior art. In the accompanying drawings froming part of the present disclosure, in which ony way of carrying out the invention is shown for illustrative purposes: t Fig.,1 is a perspective view of a` fragment of '35 lladder-tape made in accordance with the present invention; t

Fig. 2 is a View in side elevation of the laddertape shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; A

Fig. Il is a horizontal sectional view on line i 4--4 oi Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation of the laddertape shown in Figs. l to 4 inclusive, before `the cross-overs have been cut andthe ladder-tape` opened to the condition shown in Fig-2;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged brokensectional View on line 6--6 of Fig. 3, while the ladder-tape is in the uncut condition illustrated'in Fig. 5, the vfragnient `of ladder-tape being shown in the forni` of a loop or U in order to accommodate a suiicient length thereof upon the sheet;

Fig. 7 is `a fragmental broken sectional View on line'I-Ji offFig. 6; l

Fig. 8 is a face view of the opposite side of Fig. 7; and

Fig. 9 is a sectional View on line 9--9 of Fig. 7. In the description and claims, the various t parts are identied by speciiic names for convenience, but they areintended to be as generic in their application as `the prior art will permit. Referring to the drawings showing the particular formof the invention chosen for illustration,

the ladder-tape-IG comprises two main or body T10 tapes II and i2 connected together by ladders or rungs I 3. One of the main tapes, such, for example, as Il, may be referred to as the front or face main tape,` and the other main tape may t be referred to as the back or rear Vmain tape. l The ladders i3 may be formed of a plurality of parallel strands as shown by weaving the laddertape on a two-shuttle loom, or, by employing a four-shuttle loom, the strands can have weft orlling picks interwoven therewith, if desired. '2.0

While each of the main tapes could be made of `other forms of weaves, the main tapes I I and I2 in the drawings are shown as formed of a plainltype of weave in which single weft or lll L ing strands or picks I4 are Woven with groups 25 or pairs of warp strands I5, i5; I5, I6.; I5, Il and I5, It. The warp strands I5 run continuously throughout the length of the main tapes, whereas the `ladder warp strands It, I'I and I8 do not form continuous warp sections through- 30 out the length of the main tapes. Thus, by observing Figs. 6, '7 and 8, it will be observed that strands I5, I 6 `form pairs extending a certain portion or section of the length of a main tape,

t whereupon the warp section of strands I6 is re- 35 placed for the next section or portion by a different warp section of strands I'I, and the warp section of strands Il after extending a certain length or section, is also next replaced by a warp section of strands I8, and the warp section of strands I8 is next replaced by a warp section of strands I6, and so on throughout the length of each main tape. Instead of forming each weft pick of a single strand portion, it could be formed y of a group of. two or more strands. having each group oi warp strands consist of' a pair of strands, a group of three or more strands could be used in the place of each pair of strands shown in the drawings. And, while it would not be as advantageous a construction as having at 50 least two strands forming a group as shown in the drawings, a single strand could be used in placeof each pair of warp strands shown.

The strands I6 form what may be called one `set of warp strands, the Istrant'is Il form another 55` Instead of 45 set of warp strands, and the strands I8 form still another set of warp strands. Each of the sets of warp strands I6, I1 and I8 is successively woven with weft strands of one main tape, then forms a ladder which extends over to the other main tape where it is woven with weft strands of said other main tape, then forms a cross-over to said one main tape where it is woven with weft strands of said one main tape, and so on throughout the length of the main tapes, and therefore may be called ladder-warp strands. Thus, the set of ladder warp strands i6 (Figs. 6 and 7) is Woven with weft strands I4 of the main tape Il to form a woven-in portion or section Ita, then forms a cross-over Ib tothe other main tape l2 where it forms another woven-in section ISa, then forms a ladder I6c which extends over-to the main tape II Where it forms another wovenin section Ita, and then forms another crossover |611, and so on. Similarly, the set of ladder warp strands l'I successively forms a woven-in section ila, a cross-over IIb, another wovenin section lia, a ladder l'Ic, and so on. And similarly, the set of ladder warp strands I3 successively forms a woven-in section i3d, a ladder ISC, another woven-in section Ita, a cross-over Ib, and so on. Each warp Vstrand and weft strand may be composed of a plurality of sub-strands. After the ladder-tape is woven, the cross-overs arecut to permit the tape to be opened up from the position shown in Figs. 5 and 6 to the posi tion shown in Figs; 1 and 2 for use with blind slats in the usual way. Instead of having three sets of ladder warp strands which form the ladders of the ladder-tape, more than three sets of warp strands could be employed.

Each woven-in section of each set of ladder warp strands in a main tape is of'substantiallygreater length than the distance between the 1cm cations I 9 of the emergence of each two adjacent ladders from a main tape, so that each woven-in section Ita, I'Ia, Ita, has overlapping portions 20 in overlapping relation with the warpwise-aligned immediately preceding and immediately following sets of ladder warp strands.

By referring to Figs. 7 and 9 it will be seen that the ladder IIc of the set of ladder warp strange, I'I at the top of Fig. 7, on entering and becoming part of the overlapping portion 29 with the groups or pairs of warp strands I5, It, becomes placed or arranged on top of strands I5, i6, in a direction nearer to the longitudinal center line or axis of the ladder-tape than the strands l5, Iii, and it will be seen (Figs. 7 and 9) that in the overlapping portion 20, each group or pair of strands I5, i6 has become a group of three strands by the addition of the superposed portion of ladder-strands l1. This is likewise true at each other overlapping place 2d in each main tape.

By having each woven-in section of the three sets of lladder warp strands of considerable length, great strength of anchorage of the'ladders is obtained, and this strength of anchorage is still further increased by having the overlapping portions forming each end portion oi the wovennin sections. In addition to the increased strength of anchorage of the ladders due to the added length of the overlapping portions, the latter have several additional strength-of-anchorage features. Thus the fact that three strands are crowded in to form a group in each overlapping portion causes a tighter `binding-in effect of the weft strands; also the friction anchorage effect of the added thirdstrand on the two other warp strands of a group is greater than if there were only two warp strands in a group in the overlapping portion; and nally, where each third ladder warp strand changes direction at 2l where it turns aside and down, as shown concerning strand I'I (Fig. 7), to become one strand of a two-strand groupor pair-section while one of the lower strands, as shown concerning strand I 6, of the three-strand group passes up to form a cross-over, still further increases the anchorage strength of the ladders. Due to the exceptionally strong anchorage of the ladders, I am. able to employ a type of weave which is both cheaper and more attractive in appearance than the tighter types of .weave which were necessary to use heretofore. The plain type of weave illustrated in the drawings is not only very attractive, but contains less picks or wefts per inch of length and therefore costs less to manufacture,

By having one of each group of three ladder warp strands inthe overlappingv sections on top of two warp strands instead of crowding in between the two bottom warp strands, there is no crowding transversely of the main tapes, and hence the side edges of the main tapes remain true and free from unsightly bulges at the overlapping regions, and the outside face of each main tape is of smooth, uniform appearance with no indication of the woven-in anchorage sections of the ladder strands.

The invention may be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, and the present em- A bodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all ychanges comingy within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

' I claim:

1. A ladder tape including: first and second main tapes each formed of warp strands woven with weft strands, part of which warp strands of each tape consist of at least three warpwisealigned sets of ladder-warp strands which sets also form ladders connecting said main tapes and each of which sets is successively woven with weft strands of said first main tape, then forms a ladder as it extends over to said second mainA tape where it is woven with weft strands of said second main tape, then forms a crossover to said first main tape where it is woven with weft strands of said rst main tape, and so on, each woven-in section of each of said sets of ladder warp strands being of substantially" greater length than the distance between'two adjacent warpwise-aligned ladders and having portions in overlapping wovenrelation with the immediately preceding and following woven-in sections of sets of ladder warp strands of a main tape. Y

2. A ladder tape including: first and second main tapes each formed of groups of warp strands woven with weft strands, part of which warp strands of each tape consist of at least three warpwise-aligned sets of ladder-warp strands which sets also form ladders connecting said main tapes and each of which sets is successively woven with weftstrands of said rst main tape, then forms a ladder as it extends over to said second main tape where it is woven with weft strands of said second main tape, then forms a cross-over to said first main tape Whereit is Woven with weft str-ands of said first main tape,

and so on, each woven-in section of each of said sets of ladder warp strands being of substantially greater length than the distance between two adjacent warpwise-aligned ladders and having portions in overlapping woven relation with the immediately preceding and following woven-in sections of sets of warp strands of a main tape, and substantially each woven-in section of substantially each ladder Warp strand of said sets of ladder warp strands forming a section of a said groupof warp strands.

3. A ladder tape including: rst and second maintapes each formed of groups of warp strands woven with weft strands, a plurality of warp strands of each of said groups of warp strands being arranged side by side in the face of each main tape most distant from the longitudinal axis of the ladder tape, part of which warp strands of` each tape consist of at least three wiarpwise-aligned sets of ladder-warp strands which sets also form ladders connecting said main tapes and each of `which sets is successively woven with weft strands of said rst main tape, then forms aladder as it extends over to said second main tape where it is woven with weft strands of said second main tape, then forms a cross-over to said rst main tape where it is woven with weft strands of said rst main tape,

and soon, each woven-in section of each of said sets of ladder warp strands being of substantially greater length than the distance between two adjacent warpwise-algned ladders and having portions in overlapping woven relation with the immediately preceding and following woven-in sections of sets of warp strands of a main tape, and substantially each woven-in section of substantially each ladder warp strand oct' said sets of ladder warp strands forming a section of a said group of warp strands, and certain of the warp strand portions in said overlapping portions being arranged on top of, and nearer the longitudinal axis of the ladder tape than, said side by side strands.

4. A ladder `tape including: first and second main tapes each formed of pairs of warp strands arranged side by side and woven with weft strands, part of which warp strands of each tape consist of at least three Warpwise-aligned sets of ladder-warp strands which sets also form ladders connecting said main tapes and each of which sets is successively woven with weft strands of said first main tape, then forms a ladder as it extends over to said second main tape where it is woven with weft strands i of said second main tape, then forms a crossover to said rst main tape where it is woven with weft strands of said first main tape, and so on, each woven-in section of each of said sets of ladder warp strands being of substantially greater length. than the distance between two adjacent warpwise-aligned ladders and having portions in` woven overlapping relation with the immediately preceding and following woven-in sections of sets of warp strands of a main tape, and a portion of substantially each woven-in section of substantially each ladder warp strand of `said sets of ladder warp strands forming a section of a said pair of warp strands, and certain of the warp strand portions in said overlapping portions being arranged on top of, and nearer the longitudinal axis of the ladder tape than, said side by side strands.

, JAMES A. HENDLEY.

DISCLAIMER 2,206,698.-James A. Handley, Middletown, Comi. VLADDER TAPE. Patent dated July 2, 1940. Disclaimei` filed April 25, 1941, by the assignee, The Russell Manufacturing Company. Hereby disclaims claims 1 and 2.

[Oficial Gazette May 20, 1941.] 

